Category: World Football

Marcello Gallardo– The 42-year-old Argentinian replaced the highly successful Ramon Diaz as the River Plate coach in 2014. Gallardo often referred to as the ‘Napoleon’ has been the reason for River Plate’s run of success. Possessing a profound knowledge and understanding of the game, Gallardo, a devoted admirer of Marcelo Bielsa has lived up to his nick name. Gallardo managed an unbeaten streak of 32 games, the club’s all time high. His style of play and attacking minded football has been lauded by many critics and pundits. His 4-1-4-1 or…

Why Diego Maradona is a controversy king 7) Criticising Messi for retiring One Argentine legend apparently was forthcoming in his criticism for his fellow compatriot at a time when support would have been way more appropriate. After losing three finals, Messi decided to call it quits for Argentina only to come back after a few months which did not go down well among many in the football world; however, Maradona took it to an entirely new level claiming that Messi had planned the entire thing and that he should not…

Major upsets in the FIFA 2018 World Cup 5) David De Gea Touted by some as the best goalkeeper in the world and rightly so following his miraculous performances for Manchester United, many expected De Gea to star in Russia as well. However, for all his fine saves and confidence he exudes for Manchester United, the Spaniard just hasn’t been able to bring his A game for the national side. And the same trend continued in Russia this summer. His campaign got off with a howler against Portugal as…

Roberto Baggio- 1994 When we speak of injustice in football; Iniesta and Xavi’s lack of Ballon D’or, Ronaldo and Messi’s lack of World Cup, 1982 Brazil and 1974 Netherlands’ iconic teams without any success. However, there was another injustice in football that happened to Roberto Baggio, an Italian enigma whose flair and technique was considered as an impeccable sight. Baggio’s famous long hair and the Italian masculinity went hand in hand with his on field achievements. When Italy went into the 1994 World Cup, they pinned their hopes on…

Why Patrice Evra suggests not to ever accept Cristiano Ronaldo’s lunch invitation? Drink and dine with Ronaldo? Beware, it’s a trap Cristiano Ronaldo is human, but his determination and grit knows no bound. The boy from Madeira never knew how to lose. His constant battle to be the best, his desire to stay at the top for a prolonged time makes him a superhuman. Ronaldo started his career at Sporting CP, but it was at Manchester United where he grew up as a superstar. A tricky winger, whose uncatchable pace,…

5) John Terry and Rio Ferdinand One of the prime reasons behind England’s golden generation’s failure was their inability to gel together as a team. Part of it was also down to the lack of team spirit in the camp as cited by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand himself admitted that he did not share a harmonious relationship with Lampard, who was also his teammate back at West Ham while he also did not see eye to eye with Gerrard due to the arch rivalry between Liverpool and…

5)Oliver Kahn: Germany 0-2 Brazil – 2002 World Cup Final The German shotstopper was one of its kind back in his playing days. Having virtually carried the Germans to the final on his own, Kahn had been a rock at the back. Deservedly, Kahn was going to receive the Lev Yashvin award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament having conceded a solitary goal until the 66th minute of the final, when a rampant shot from Rivaldo was only pushed right into the path of Ronaldo by the legendary Bayern…

5) Pepe The defender put an end to what had been a remarkable career with Real Madrid last summer, joining Besiktas. While his departure did not necessarily end on good terms, Pepe will always be remembered for his aggression and the heart he put in the games for Real Madrid. Now 35, the World Cup is likely to be Pepe’s last participation in a major tournament. He will be keen to leave a mark on it. 4) William Carvalho Sitting in front of the defenders, Carvalho is an old school…

5) Thibaut Courtois The shotstopper has already seen a lot in his young career having featured for Atletico, where he unexpectedly won the La Liga title, lost the Champions league final and came back to Chelsea, where he has since won 2 league titles under 2 different managers. The past season for Courtois was Chelsea’s season in a nutshell, marred by inconsistency. For Courtois, talks of a transfer have been ongoing for a while and might just turn out to be true. The World Cup, in such a case, will…

Harry Kane: Harry Kane is one of the best strikers in football right now, and the English forward is also going to lead his nation at the World Cup. He has had another excellent campaign and has scored 30+ league goals. A tall, powerful, and pacey striker, Kane is a match winner and is not only lethal inside the box, he can pull off few stunners from outside the box. Kane represents England’s direct football approach and has the hunger to be the best. This may not be England’s…